Tonk: A special SC/ST court in Rajasthan’s Tonk has sentenced four members of a family to life imprisonment for conspiring to murder a 25-year-old woman who was in a relationship with one of the accused.

The case involved Suman and Pradhan, both residents of Jaipur with roots in Tonk district. According to the prosecution, the two were in a relationship, but the situation became strained after Suman began insisting that Pradhan marry her.

The prosecution said the couple belonged to different castes and that Pradhan began avoiding the marriage issue. Investigators later alleged that the dispute led Pradhan to conspire with his mother, brother and sister to kill Suman in 2022.

The court has now sentenced Pradhan, his mother Sanjana, brother Sawai Ram and sister Sushila to life imprisonment. The four were also collectively fined Rs 1.35 lakh.

Woman allegedly called to village on pretext of ceremony

According to the prosecution case, the murder conspiracy was planned in 2022 after Suman repeatedly asked Pradhan to marry her.

Pradhan allegedly called Suman to their village on the pretext of attending a Shraddh ceremony. Investigators said she was subsequently made to consume a poisonous chemical.

The family initially did not know that Suman’s death would lead to a murder investigation.

Three days after the incident, Pradhan reportedly informed Suman’s brother about her condition and asked him to come to Ajmer, where Suman had already died.

Her family initially believed that she had died after a snakebite. Based on that belief, her last rites were performed in September 2022.

The circumstances surrounding her death later came under scrutiny after her postmortem report revealed that she had consumed a poisonous chemical.

Postmortem report changed the course of the case

The postmortem findings raised questions about the circumstances of Suman’s death and led investigators to examine the events surrounding her final days.

Suspicion reportedly grew around Pradhan after investigators found that around Rs 80,000 had been withdrawn from Suman’s bank account using her ATM card.

The financial transactions became another part of the investigation as police sought to establish what happened after Suman’s death and whether her belongings had been accessed without authorisation.

Suman’s brother eventually filed a complaint, following which a case was registered in May 2023.

During the investigation, police said they uncovered evidence pointing towards a conspiracy involving Pradhan and members of his family. The prosecution alleged that the murder was linked to Suman’s insistence that Pradhan marry her despite the caste differences between the two.

Four family members convicted

The court found Sanjana, Pradhan, Sawai Ram and Sushila guilty in the case and sentenced all four to life imprisonment.

Special Judge Aarti Maheshwari based the verdict on the statements of 27 witnesses and 37 documents presented during the trial.

The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 1.35 lakh on the four convicts.

The evidence considered by the court included material related to the circumstances of Suman’s death, the investigation following the postmortem and the alleged conspiracy involving the family members.

The case had taken several turns during the investigation and trial, including the custody of some of the accused in another murder case.

Accused were also linked to another murder case

Sanjana and her son Sawai Ram were already in judicial custody in Jaipur in connection with another alleged murder.

They had been accused of murdering Sanjana’s husband, Jagdish. They were subsequently brought to Tonk on production warrants in connection with the Suman murder case.

Their custody in the other case became part of the circumstances surrounding the proceedings in the case involving Suman.

The Tonk court eventually delivered its verdict after considering the evidence and witness statements presented during the trial.

Judge includes poem in judgment

One unusual feature of the judgment was the inclusion of a 10-line poem written by Special Judge Aarti Maheshwari.

The poem reflected on the circumstances of the murder, the betrayal of trust in a relationship and the role of caste differences in the events that preceded Suman’s death.

The judge’s reference to these themes highlighted the human and social dimensions of the case while pronouncing the legal outcome against the four accused.

The prosecution’s case had centred on the allegation that Suman’s insistence on marriage, despite the couple belonging to different castes, was a key factor behind the alleged conspiracy.

The court’s verdict brings the trial in the murder case to its current conclusion, with all four convicted family members receiving life sentences.

The case also illustrates how the initial explanation for a death can change significantly when forensic evidence raises questions about the circumstances. In Suman’s case, her family initially believed she had died from a snakebite, but the postmortem finding of poisoning prompted further investigation.